Shirley Franklin

Shirley Franklin is executive chairman of the board of directors of Purpose Built Communities. Previously, she was the Barbara Jordan Visiting Professor in Ethics and Political Values at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at University of Texas, Austin. From 2010 to 2011, she held an endowed chair at Spelman College. In her first run for public office, Franklin was elected the first African American woman mayor of a major southern city, serving two terms as mayor of Atlanta from 2002 to 2010. She had previously served as the city’s chief administrative officer and city manager, and prior to that its commissioner of cultural affairs.